Thursday, November 1, 2012

Bottega Veneta - Ion Orchard

This is an impromptu post but i thought i really should share about what happened while shopping. Retail therapy in Singapore isn't cheap, and the least i expect from boutiques (by this i mean designer/branded boutiques) is good customer service. For example if i am buying a pair of shoe for SGD 1000, instead of buying a shoe that cost a fraction of that price, i should at least get good customer service, right? What more, from a high end fashion boutique.

I walked into the Bottega Veneta boutique at Ion Orchard to browse through some stuff. I walked in at about 9.20pm and was greeted by a sales associate with a nametag with the words "trainee" pinned on her blouse. I'm cool with trainees that do not know their products well, but am not cool with trainees that are RUDE and ARROGANT.

So yes, i asked to view a few in different sizes and colors (four different pieces in total to be exact). I think this is perfectly fine since i was going to pay almost SGD 800+ for a SLG (small leather good), which i deem very overpriced but will still pay for since i like it.

It was five minutes into attending to me that this trainee started to lose her patience. She started frowning for no apparent reason and giving me weird looks as if she was judging me. Just to add to that, i wasn't decked in flip flops nor a t-shirt when i was at the boutique. Just what the fuck was there to judge?

Feeling extremely fed up, i rang up my sales associate at Bottega Veneta over at DFS Galleria Scottswalk to ask if she has the same design i wanted. By then i had already decided what color and design i wanted but just didn't feel like i should have purchased it at Ion since service from the sales associate wasn't up to par in my opinion.

I've been shopping in Singapore for long enough to know that the Bottega Veneta boutique at DFS Galleria Scottswalk does not belong to Gucci Group, unlike the rest islandwide. Therefore i used my own phone to ring them up myself to check if they had the stock for the item i wanted and if the price was the same. Yes, i did that at the Ion boutique. It was untactful but i didn't see myself imposing anything on them since i was the one making the call on my own phone.

Since DFS told me they had stock, i walked over (by then it was about 9.45pm) with the intention to purchase the items i wanted but the only piece they had for the item i wanted had a defect on it and the sales associate adviced me to go back to Ion to purchase it even though the Ion boutique wasn't linked to them.

I rang up Ion and asked for the sales associate to put my items (which i already chose) aside and i would come by before 10pm to make payment for them. She told me "okay", and so i rushed from DFS to Ion in a mere 10 minutes.

When i reached the boutique at Ion at 9.55pm, she told me they were already "closed for the day". Feeling fed up, i told her that she already agreed over the phone that i can make payment as long as i come back before 10pm. In the end her colleague came out and agreed to it.

By this time, i was already fuming mad. Imagine me rushing back just to purchase something and someone telling me she refuses my purchase. And so i decided to tell her nicely (without yelling) :

"The only reason why i came back is because the only piece at DFS had a defect. I really wouldn't purchase something from you if i had a choice because i don't think you seem happy attending to me as a customer."

I was expecting her to just walk away (since her colleague was already attending to me because she initially refused my payment) but no, she retaliated by shouting at me. Mind you, when i mean shouting, i really mean raising her voice at me. She went :

"It's very rude of you to compare prices with DFS because DFS is DFS and not associated with us."

"If you are unhappy, don't buy!"

I explained to her that i called DFS on my own accord and did not bother them to do it for me, which i found i had the right to do so as a customer, but then she shouted :

"The customer is not always right!!"

After which she stomped off in anger and i proceeded to check my items and make payment. And may i please emphasize my point on how she is a "trainee" and already so rude to a customer. I later requested for her name from her colleague and was told her name is on the receipt. So now i'm being shouted at by a trainee sales associate and it looks like she "cliched the sale". Oh wow, fantastic.

Prior to that, if the sales associate at DFS can be professional enough to tell me to go to Ion because the piece they have has defects (despite knowing the Ion boutique isn't related to them), why can't this trainee be just as professional? After all she isn't selling an estate worth a few millions and getting a profit out of it.

Her name is Dian by the way, i can't make up what race she is and do not want to stereotype, but one thing's for sure - i am very disappointed with the service and will think twice before going back the next time round. Just so you know, i got shouted at and "paid" for her shouting. I must be the most gracious customer she has served till date. Come to think about it, i should have changed 50 cents worth of coins of the total bill and make her count them.

While I emphatised with your situation, there are also many cases where excellent services are exemplified not only in high-end stores but also in our daily purchases. I would expect good services when I board a public bus, or when I pay for my grocery in supermarkets.

Courtesy is important because it shows respect to others.

As shoppers we should exercise constraint and respect to others. By calling another Store to check on price and product availability in front of the sales person could be demeaning to their dignity and pride, especially if you are raising your voice at them.

I have seen many incidents where shoppers abused their authority simply because they are paying for it. If you have the intention of changing 50 cents of the total bill just to make them count, why don’t you just bring tons of “a dollar” coins for your purchase next time.

Most importantly, you should also learned to restrain from using vulgarity on the Internet, especially if your blog is opened to all. Young people could be reading this post as we speak. Our attitidue towards the incident speaks for own behaviour.

It's your fault though.. U waste other people time by choosing this and that.. Long before u should have bought it at ion orchard. Don't go around comparing price or whatever.. Still went back so late when people are doing closing.

^ all this negative comments to the blogger is seriously uncalled for. He made the call to DFS not to compare prices but to make the purchase there instead of giving the sale to the POS (piece of shit) trainee sales girl who showed annoyance to a customer. If I was the one making the call, I'd definitely make her listen to my conversation, word by word. It's quite unlucky that the only piece DFS had had a defect though. :/

^ all these negative comments were so uncalled for. He didn't call DFS to compare prices but to make the purchase there instead of giving the sale to the POS (piece of shit) trainee sales girl. If I was the one who made the call, I would have made her listen to it, word by word. It's a pity the only piece DFS had had a defect though. :/

If u cannot stand dont buy leh. Alamak! U made this blog just to complain. Beh tahan with u. It seems like u are kiasu person, cmon this branded stuff even last piece also seldom has defect. Act like rich sia.

Oh My! what a funny coincidence I stumbled upon this blog!Short story: recently (few days ago) my trip to BV Ion wasn't that pleasant too, not to that extreme being shouted at, but having to feel staffs at BV Ion are arrogant while attending to customers. Esp.the female staffs! The male staffs are fine.That same night as I wasn't being well-served, so i walked over to BV NAC. To my surprise, they greeted better, full of smiles, very patience and helpful.I would go to BV NAC again for sure. Already eye-ing what to buy next!Nich ZT, want to join me? ÷) ÷P

Hi nick. I think u will b disappointed to know this lady is no longer a trainee n has her own name tag now. Why i took notice of her was because i was just there last week. It was my birthday and my husband n i were keen on buying a BV bag for the 1st time. Like u, i asked to try few types of bags and of diff sizes/color. I also got the impatient treatment and judgemental looks. 😑 I quickly decided on a bag i wanted but was told by her that it was out of stock... WORLDWIDE! It sounds so hard to believe. She went to the computer and she checked, and said most definitely that it was out of stock. Since i already knew what i wanted n they didnt have it, i thanked her n i left. I went home n started surfing the net, wondering if it really is out of stock worldwide. I soon realised the bag i wanted came in another size. So 2 days later i went back to Ion again. This time served by another lady trainee and another man. They too confirmed that they didnt have the bag i want in both sizes. They said they'd have to source frm nearby countries via email n would let me know by next week. I left them my contacts n thanked them profusely for their help. Today, we went to mbs for dinner and my husband urged me to check the BV outlet there for the bag i wanted. I confidently told him it was impossible that they would have it but i'll just ask to prove him wrong. Imagine my surprise/anger/disappointment, when i found out they did indeed have the bag i wanted, in the bigger size. I thought they were under the same company? I thought they had a linked inventory? What is going on here? Are the staff in BV so hungry for sales that they hav started lying to customers now?? I am utterly disappointed. It is such a waste that they have these kind of staff tainting the forefront of their brand. I think i may just forego buying this brand completely.

wow, read your post and have to concur everything you said about this Dian person at BV Ion, and yes, she is no longer a trainee and has gotten her own name tag. I am so happy that I did not buy anything from her today cos I really did not like the way she treated me at the store.